Frugal Things to Do with Kids Indoors | Family Economics

By Lori

I live in Northern Minnesota. I’m a stay-at-home mom to three boys - a four-year-old and twin two-year-olds. Let’s just say the winters can get a bit long without some fun indoor activities to break up the day-to-day routine.

Here are a few ideas to keep your young children entertained indoors.

Molding Dough. You can buy Play-Doh on sale at your favorite discount store, or better yet, you can make your own for just a fraction of the cost.

Here’s the recipe we use:
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon oil
¼ cup salt
Food coloring

Mix all ingredients, adding the food coloring last. Stir over medium heat until smooth. Remove from pan and knead until blended smooth. It will be hot, so let it get to the point where you can touch it without hurting your hands.

Store the dough in an airtight container and it will last for several weeks. We love to use rolling pins and cookie cutters with our dough.

Fort building. If you have furniture and you have blankets, you have everything you need to build a fort. You can also use a giant box that the kids can decorate with markers and crayons. Just make your kids a little cave and let the fun begin. Have snack in the fort, watch a movie from the fort, maybe even take a nap in the fort!

Bake. Nothing warms up the house like something tasty baking in the oven. Your kids will delight in helping you make cookies, muffins or bread and you’ll have snack taken care of at the same time.

Make your own musical instruments. Round up all your old plastic containers like juice cans and fill them with things like pennies or rice to make your own shakers. Use coffee cans for drums. Fill water glasses with different amounts of water and have your little ones discover how different they sound when you tap them with a spoon.

Easy art projects. Help your little ones cut out pictures from old magazines to make a collage. Do a search on the internet for free coloring pages and print some out. Have your little ones make some homemade cards for the grandparents. All you need are some crayons, glue, scissors, and a little creativity.

Bubbles. Make sure the kids stay in an area that’s easy to clean (like the kitchen) and blow bubbles. If you can’t find a good deal on bubbles in the store, you can make your own: Just mix ½ cup of dishwashing liquid, 2 cups of water, and 2 teaspoons of sugar. Add a drop of food coloring for fun. If you don’t want to make your kitchen floor all slippery, throw the kids in the tub and let them blow bubbles there. They’ll love how the bubbles stick to their skin and float on the water.

Bring winter inside. If it’s too cold to play outside, consider bringing the outdoors in. Load your bathtub full of snow and have your kiddos put on their mittens to play. One mom I know even has her little ones put on their snow pants and lets them play in the tub with the snow.

Remember, kids need just as much variety in their lives as adults do. Just because it’s cold outside, doesn’t mean you have limited options.